Fast trails!Jul 10 2017

Donner Pass

Jul112017
Map thumbnail of location

Today started with something exciting (to me) -- hiking through Squaw Valley! Despite being the middle of July, they're still open (on the weekends).

I've ridden this lift so many times!I've ridden this lift so many times!

Once leaving Squaw, though, the scenery rapidly changed as the snow disappeared and the greens took over. Here's where I saw Lake Tahoe for perhaps the last time on this trail:

Goodbye, Tahoe.Goodbye, Tahoe.

Then it was time for lunch on top of a ridge! Pretty much on a peak, actually. And it was also time to drink that beer that I'd been carrying for miles and miles. But first, I gotta make it cold.

Let's get this cooled down.Let's get this cooled down.

A short time after that, I crossed Donner Pass, and figured I should head over to Donner Ski Ranch and get an afternoon snack -- hopefully a burger. Turns out, they had Reubens and jalapeno poppers and pies, so I got some of each. This was all well and good and I was ready to hit the trail, but the bartender reminded me that thru hikers get a free beer. Yay! Then another patron bought me a beer because I survived the Sierras. Yay!

So when I left, I immediately found two trees, set up my hammock, and napped for an hour. It was amazing.

Then it was time to hike. But first, let me explain something: getting your feet wet sucks. A lot. You go out of your way -- sometimes a lot -- to avoid it.

So it was really annoying when I reached I-80 and they had helpfully put in a tunnel underneath it (so I didn't get pancaked by a truck) and it looked like this:

Knee-deep water.Knee-deep water.

Sigh, oh well. I'm almost done hiking anyway. Slosh through, do another few miles, and watch a sunset. I guess things could be worse.

This'll do, nature.This'll do, nature.
Boring trailsJul 12 2017